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Sunday, March 22, 2015

Vayikra as a whole deals with the numerous sacrifices given for any occasion. This week's parsha talks about the sacrifices brought for sinning. The Torah lists the sacrifices given by a Kohen, an individual, a community, and a "nasi," (a leader). When discussing the first three, the Torah uses the word "if." However, when discussing the nasi, the Torah says "when." The Seforno explains why there is a change. The nasi will sin because of the political power and control he has. It will surely corrupt him and cause him to sin. The Torah is teaching us that one in power must stay true to his values and not become corrupt. If he does, he must be humble and admit to his wrongdoing.

The laver in which the kohanim would wash their hands was made of the women's bronze mirrors. The Kli Yakar explains that the water taken from the laver was also used to determine if a woman was unfaithful to her husband. By contributing to the laver, the women wanted to show that they would always be faithful. Secondly, water acts like a mirror. You can see your reflection and see if you look good or not; so too the water from the laver would determine if a woman is faithful or not.